Butter-cutter.



No. 724,050. PATBNTED MAR. 31, 1903. P. M. SGANLAN. BUTTER CUTTER.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 9, 1902.

No MODEL.

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No. 724,050. TATBNTED MAR. 31, 1903.

P. M. SGANLAN. BUTTER GUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9. 1902. l* N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N Y@ N A Tron/VHS UNITED STATES Y PATENT OFFICE.

-PATRICK SCANLAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BUTTER-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,050, dated March 31, V1903.

Application led August 9, 1902.

To LZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK M. SCANLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new andV useful Improvements in Butter-Cutters', of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved device for cutting butter in tubs and other vessels, so as to remove the butter from the tub or other vessel and at the same time divide it into pound weights for retailing and similar purposes, a further object be'- ing to provide a device of the class specifiedt by which butter, cheese, lard, and similar substances may be cut into blocks of any desired form weighing a pound or any other desired amount; andV with these and other objects in view the invention consists in a device of the class specified constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of myimprovement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- 1 Figure lis a side view of my improved butter-cutter; Fig. 2, a plan view thereof; Fig. 3, a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. l and on an enlarged scale; Fig. 5, an end View looking in the direction of the arrow :c of Fig. 2 and on an enlarged scale; Fig. 6, an end view of a cutter-wire which I4 employ and showing its attachments; Fig, 7, an end View of the attachment of the cutter-wire, and Fig. 8 aside viewvof` one end of one of the arms which operate the cutter-wire. Y

In the practice of myinvention I provide au oblong rectangular casing c, which is preferably square in cross section and which is preferably composed of sheet metal and one end of which is closed by a head a2, which is secured therein in any desired manner. The head a2 is provided with a tube c3, which is secured therein and which passes therethrough, and said tube is provided at its outer end with arms n4, the outer ends of which are pro- Serial No. 1191009. (No model.)

vided with laterally-directed arms c5, which are provided at both sides with a handle a.

Within the casing a is a plunger b, to which is secured a rod b2, which passes outwardly Athrough the tube a3 and between the arms 'a4 and-between theseparate pairs of arms a5 and between the handles c and is also provided with a handle b3. The tube c3 at a predetermined distance from the head c2 of the casing a is provided with laterally-directed bearings c, on which are mounted at each side a crank-lever c2, and the corresponding arms of thel crank-levers c2 are rigidly connected by a cross-rod c3, on which is loosely mounted the tubular head c4 of an arm c5, which is preferably curved upwardly and outwardly, as shown, and the endof which is curved back in the direction of the tube c3 and toward the arms et, and loosely connected with said arm at c6 is a rod c7, which passes through a sleeve o8, secured to the tube c3, adjacent to one of the arms c4, and the rod c7 also. passes through the base of the said arm 0,4 and is provided with a cross-head c9,which isconnected to the handles d. The arms a4 are provided with laterally-directed members 4, which connect them with the tube a3, and said arms 0,4 are parallel, and the laterally-directed members 4? of the arms a4 facilitate the operation of the handles d and the, rod c7, as hereinafter described'. The other arms of thecrank-levers c2 are provided each with an` eccentric d2, and these eccentrics fit in circular openings d3, formed in the ends e2 ofthe cutter-arms e, and these cutter-arms e are flat and fit against or adjacent` to the opposite sides of the casing a, and are rigidly connected between the bearings c ofA lche crank-levers c2 and the end of said casing a by a cross-piece e3, having parallel end arms e4,which are secured to the inner sides of the cutter-arms c, and side pieces c5 are secured to ythe outer sidesof the 4cutter-arms e and to the arms e4 of the cross-piece e3 by pins, screws, or other devices which pass through the cutter-armse, the object of this construction being to securely brace and hold the said cutter-arms e. The cutter-arms e are provided with slots e, and secured in the head o2 of the casing c are pins f, which are provided with annular IOO slots e, and secured in the cutter arms 'e centrally of the casing d are blocks g, vhaving journals g2, which lit in and move in transverse slots g3, formed in the sides of the casing a, and the journals g2 are provided with heads g, which are slightly larger than the slots g3, and said slots g3 are enlarged at one end, as shown at g5, so as to permit of the journals g3 being removed therefrom outwardly. lhe slots g3 of the casing a are curved, the convex side thereof being in the direction of the head d2, and the heads g4 of the journals g3 are countersunk in the inner walls of the casing d.

The outer ends of the cutter-arms e carry a cutter-wire h, and this wire is provided at each end with an attachment h2, consisting of a head h3, having a shank 7L, around which ihe wire h is passed in the form of a loop h5, as shown in Fig. 6, and said attachment is provided with side grooves hi, adapted to receive said wire, and the cutter-arms e are each provided on the outer edge thereof with a small opening 7L, connected by a slot 7L7 with a larger opening hs. The cutter-wire 7L and its end attachments are shown on a much larger scale in Figs. 6 and 7, and in practice the end attachments are adapted to be passed outwardly through the opening hg in the arms e and then moved through the slots hl into the small opening h6, where the cutterwire is securely held. The opposite sides of the casing a are provided at the open end with a small projection fi, having in its inner side a groove 2, adapted to receive the cutter-wire h, and said cutter-wire is preferably made of steel or ordinary piano wire,and all therest of the device is preferably made of nickel-plated material.

I also preferably form in the sleeve o8 a longitudinal slotj, and secured in the rod c7 is a pin jg, movable in said slot, the object ot' which is to limit the movement of the rod c7, and in practice I preferably form on the rod b2 a scale Za and provide one of the members 4 with a pointer k2, and this scale may be used to measure the amount of butter or other material cut from a tub or other receptacle, as hereinafter described. This last object, however, maybe accomplished by making the casing a of such size that when the plunger l) rests against the head a2 the said casing will exactly hold a pound or any other amount previously fixed upon.

In operating this device, supposing th parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 3, the rod b2 is drawn outwardly until the plunger b rests against the head a2 of the casing Ct, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. l and 2. In this position of the parts the cutter-wire h is resting in one of the grooves 112 at one side of the open end of the casing a, and the open `end of said casingis forced into the butter or other material by means of the handles a as' far as it will go or until the butter or other material strikes the head b. The rod c7 is then pulled outwardly by means of the handles d, and in this operation the cutter-wire is moved transversely across the open end of the casing a by means of the cutter-arms e, and the butter or other material in the casing a is severed from the bulk of the butter or other material. The casinga is then removed, and the rod b2 is forced inwardly, and this operation causes the plunger l) to force the butter orother material outof the casinga.,'and said butter or other material may bedeposited on a plate or on any suitable receptacle prepared therefor. In this operation the cutter-wire moves evenly and transversely across the open end of the casing a, the arms e or the free ends thereof also movingin the same manner, and the cutter-wire is held closely adjacent to the open end of the casing by means of the slots g3 of the sides of said casing and the journals gzemployed therein, said arms being also capable of a slight longitu dinal movement at the same time by reason of the slots c6 and the pinsf2 employed therein, together with the eccentric d2, which turn in the ends e2 of said arms.

The object of the handles a on the tube a3 is to facilitate the use of the rod bgin forcing the material out of the casing c, as in this operation the handles a are grasped by the fingers of the hand, while the handle b3 is held by the thumb and palm of the hand, and the rod c7 may be drawn outwardly by simply grasping the handles CZ, and in the operation lof forcing said rod inwardly or in the direction of the casing a the members 4 of the handles a4 are grasped by the fingers, while `the handles d of the rod c7 are held by the thumb or thumbs and palms of the hand or hands.

This device is simple in construction and operation and perfectly adapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended, and

changes in and modifications of the construction described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacri iicing its advantages.

The cutter-wire h may be removed from the ends of arms e whenever desired, and

lsaid arms are made of spring material, and `the outer ends thereof may be swung out Wardly so as to remove the trunnions g2 from the slots g3, and the said arms may then be detached from the eccentrics d2, and the object of connecting the arms e `by the crosspiece cgis to form a frame, of which said arms constitute a part and to render the operation of said arms more positive and complete.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the class described, comprising a casing open at one end and closed at the other, a tube connected centrally with the closed end of said casing and provided with handles, a plunger placed in said casing, and provided with a rod passing through said tube and having a handle, side bearings connected with said tube at a predeter= IOO IIO

IZO

mined distance from the closed end of the casing, crank-levers connected with said bearings, cutter-arms connected with said crank-levers and fitting adjacent to the opposite sides ofthe casing, a rod movable longitudinally of said tube and provided with a handle at one end and connected with said levers at the other end, and a cutter-Wire connected with the free ends of the cutter-arms and movable transversely ofthe open end of the casing, substantially as shown and described.

2. A device of the class described comprising a casing open at one endand closed at the other, a tube connected centrally with the closed end of said casing and provided with handles, a plunger placed in said casing and provided with arod passing through said tube and having a handle, side bearings connected with, said tube at a predetermined distance from the closed end of the casing, cranka cutter-wire connected with the free endsot v the cutter-arms and movable transversely of the open end ofthe casing, said cutter-arms being capable of a combined longitudinal and swinging movement whereby the cutter-Wire is moved straight across the open end of said casin g, substantially as shown and described. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing Witnesses, this 7th day lof July, 1902.

' PATRICK M. SCANLAN.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, C. E. MULREANY. 

